The effectiveness of interprofessional education programs for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students

Communication self-efficacy and communication apprehension in a national sample of undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy in undergraduate nursing students and identify factors that contribute to communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND

Communication education and skills training is often incorporated into undergraduate nursing curricula; however, communication competence continues to be a problem for novice nurses. Communication apprehension is a concept that has been only minimally researched in nursing education and can have a negative impact on student communication readiness.

DESIGN

This study employed a cross-sectional design and surveyed a national sample of undergraduate nursing students between October 2022 and March 2023.

METHODS

An online survey was sent out to undergraduate nursing student members of the National Student Nurses Association as well as nursing education programs in 8 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was comprised of demographic questions, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the communication subscale of the Nursing Student Self-Efficacy Survey.

RESULTS

Approximately 22.1 % of the students had high communication apprehension, with the highest communication apprehension in public speaking and classroom communication. Communication self-efficacy scores ranged from 12 to 40, with a mean of 31.65 (SD = 6.28). Communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy were significantly negatively correlated. Positive and negative affect were significant predictors of communication apprehension. Affect, as well as current healthcare employment were significant predictors of communication self-efficacy. When controlling for all demographic, educational, and psychological variables, communication apprehension was a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is one of the few to explore communication apprehension in undergraduate nursing students. Data demonstrated that communication apprehension is a prevalent problem for many nursing students. Communication apprehension was also found to be a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy after controlling for all other variables. Progression through nursing education did not show a correlation with a decrease in the students' communication apprehension or increase in communication self-efficacy. Given these findings, educational efforts aimed at reducing communication apprehension and enhancing students' school-related affect could contribute to an improvement in communication self-efficacy.

Effectiveness of online interprofessional education-communication course during the COVID-19 pandemic

A developed IPE (Interprofessional Education)-communication course was first implemented at Universitas Pelita Harapan/UPH via online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of a newly developed IPE-online communication course offered to medical (MS) and nursing (NS) students. This study was a quantitative study using a pre-post design without control. The IPAS (Interprofessional Attitude Scale) assessed students' attitudes toward IPE. Satisfaction with the program was also measured following its completion. The questionnaire was administered via Survey Monkey to 535 respondents (MS = 250; NS = 285). Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were employed. Before and after the IPE program, 161 MS and 146 NS completed the IPAS questionnaire (n = 307). The attitude of MS and NS were not improved significantly (p-value >0.05). Moreover, several subscales of attitudes decreased significantly, including "Diversity and Ethics" with a low-size effect for medical students and "Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities" and "Patient-Centeredness" with a low-size effect for nursing students. Both students (n = 307) were also satisfied with the IPE course (Mean MS: 4.28 and NS: 4.34). This study suggests that online IPE communication course may not be effective in fostering student attitudes. The IPE communication course should be accomplished through in-person class instead of online learning. Further IPE course evaluations are required to improve the acceptability, applicability, and effectiveness of IPE in health education.

A single institution, cross-sectional study on medical student preferences for collaborators in interprofessional education

BACKGROUND

While the importance of interprofessional education in medical training has been well-established, no specific framework has been used uniformly or shown to be most effective in the creation of interprofessional education (IPE) sessions. Further, prior studies have demonstrated that students have preferences for the design of these experiences. In this study, we sought to understand medical student preference for interprofessional teammates and motivations for this choice.

METHODS

In this single-institution, cross-sectional analysis of the Duke IPE Clinic, participating students from September 2019-March 2020 completed a voluntary electronic survey that queried preferences for which health professions students (Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Pharmacy, and Physician's Associate (PA)) they would want to work with, and the motivating reason. Preferences and reasons were compared between first-year medical students (MS1s) and third- and fourth-year medical students (MS3s/MS4s).

RESULTS

In total, 132 students participated. We found that MS1s most preferred interprofessional teammates with a more similar area of study (PA, NP), whereas MS3s/MS4s most preferred classmates with a less similar area of study (pharmacy, DPT, ABSN). MS1 students frequently selected their first-choice preference because the profession seemed most similar, while MS3/MS4 students often selected their first-choice preference because the profession seemed most different.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical students earlier in training have more interest in working with professions they view as similar whereas senior students prefer to work with professions they view as more different. This information is important for designing educational IPE opportunities.

Exploring communication apprehension in nursing and healthcare education: A scoping review

Communication among healthcare professionals is critical to optimizing patient outcomes, and communication education is incorporated into the educational programs of healthcare professions students. Communication can be a source of stress for new healthcare professionals, however, there is a lack of research on communication apprehension (CA) in healthcare students, especially in nursing education. This scoping review sought to explore CA and factors associated with CA among healthcare professions students. This scoping review report was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (Tricco et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018, 169, 467-473). Twenty studies of healthcare professions students were included for analysis. The percentage of health professions students with high CA ranged from 0.7% to 27%. Five out of seven intervention studies demonstrated a significant decrease in CA after the intervention. This review identified inconsistent associations between CA and various individual and educational factors. More research is needed utilizing rigorous research designs, designs employing qualitative methodology, and studies to investigate the impact of language on CA in health professions students who speak English as a second language.

From self-regulation to co-regulation: refining learning presence in a community of inquiry in interprofessional education

INTRODUCTION

Online interprofessional education is a collaborative process that emphasizes both individual reflection and shared discourses. A useful analytical tool for understanding the complex dynamics of online collaborative learning is the community of inquiry (CoI) framework, which originally held that there are three types of presence in such learning: teaching, cognitive, and social. However, it was later revised to include learning presence, which is characterized by self-regulated learning. Our study aims to refine the construct of learning presence through a clearer understanding of how self- and co-regulation jointly influence learning outcomes.

METHODS

We surveyed 110 people involved with an online interprofessional medical-education curriculum at a university in Hong Kong. Path analysis was adopted to explore the relationships among 1) the three original presences of CoI; 2) learning presence (i.e., for this purpose, a combination of self-regulation and co-regulation); and 3) two learning outcomes: perceived progress and learner satisfaction.

RESULTS

The results of path analysis indicated that teaching presence had a significant indirect effect, through co-regulation, on perceived progress. In terms of direct relationships, co-regulation significantly and positively influenced both self-regulation and cognitive presence; and social presence had both positive influence on learners' satisfaction and perceived progress.

DISCUSSION

This study's findings suggest the important role of co-regulation in supporting self-regulation, especially in online collaborative-learning environments. Learners' self-regulation skills are shaped by their social interactions and regulatory activities with others. This further implies that health-professions educators and instructional designers should create learning activities that facilitate the development of co-regulatory skills, as a means of improving learning outcomes. As self-regulation is an important skill for health professions learners' lifelong learning, and because their future workplaces will be interdisciplinary in nature, it is critical to provide interactive and collaborative learning environments that will promote co-regulation and self-regulation.

Social and healthcare students' competence in patient-oriented care enhanced during interprofessional practice: A scoping review

AIM

This scoping review aimed to synthesise the findings of previous literature related to social and healthcare students' competence in patient-oriented care in interprofessional practice by attending multidisciplinary student teams.

BACKGROUND

Learning about patient-oriented care requires the comprehensive consideration of patients' physical, emotional, social and economic aspects to offer the best need-based care. Multidisciplinary student teams in the clinical practice may support learning patient-oriented care; however, the current knowledge is fragmented.

DESIGN

Scoping review METHODS: Data (N = 1548) were gathered from four databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, SocIndex and CINAHL, without start-date limitation until the end of December 2022. One article was found on the publisher's webpage recommendations. The selected studies (N = 15) answered the research questions and met the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of the studies was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Quality Assessment Checklist. A thematic analysis process was used for data extraction and synthesis of results.

RESULTS

Perspectives on patient-oriented care competencies were analysed for both students and patients cared for by a multidisciplinary student team. The themes described students' profound understanding of professional roles and responsibilities in patient-oriented care, collaborative patient-oriented care skills, improved interprofessional communication and reported patient experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Interprofessional practice versatility develops students' competence in patient-oriented care. Guaranteeing patient-oriented care requires a broad understanding of patients' comprehensive care needs, which can be addressed through multidisciplinary collaboration. Patients' experiences toward interprofessional student practice are mainly positive. Further research is needed to assess the impact of different interprofessional education methods on students' patient-oriented care competence using valid instruments and the long-term effects of students' competence in patient-oriented care.

La educación interprofesional en el desarrollo de la identidad profesional en terapia ocupacional: una revisión de alcance

Resumen Objetivo analizar el desarrollo histórico, la naturaleza y el volumen de la literatura científica de la Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional en terapia ocupacional, así como los tipos de intervenciones que se desarrollan. Método Se utilizó un scoping review con un marco metodológico de cuatro etapas para capturar la evidencia que describe cómo las Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional y la identidad profesional ha sido conceptualizada e integradas en la terapia ocupacional. Las bases de datos incluidas fueron MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Pubmed Central, ERIC, PsychInfo, Cinahl, Ciberindex, Dialnet, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane y Scielo. Como criterios de inclusión los artículos debían describir conceptos relacionados con la terapia ocupacional y otras disciplinas, identidad profesional y la educación interprofesional en estudiantes y/o profesionales. Del listado final se analizaron las variables: información demográfica, objetivo/propósito del estudio, detalles metodológicos, tipos de intervenciones realizadas y resultados/hallazgos principales. Resultados 18 artículos cumplieron los criterios y 16 se tuvieron en cuenta para la síntesis cualitativa. Predomina la investigación universitaria (92,3%). El 75% de la muestra de las investigaciones se concentra en estudiantes. La investigación mixta representa el 50% del estudio. Las intervenciones más numerosas en Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional son prácticas en el aula (62,5%) frente a prácticas de campo (37,5%). Conclusión este estudio muestra la fortaleza de las prácticas ligadas a la educación interprofesional y su vínculo para desarrollar la identidad profesional. La formación de colaboración interprofesional en comparación con la educación clínica tradicional, aumenta la identidad profesional a través de la autoeficacia percibida de los estudiantes.

Effectiveness of interprofessional shared decision-making training: A mixed-method study

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the learning effects and examined the participants' perceptions of an interprofessional shared decision-making (IP-SDM) training program.

METHODS

This mixed-method study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design in the quantitative phase and semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase. The 6-week curriculum design, based on Kolb's experiential learning cycle, consisted of two simulated objective structured clinical examinations with standardized patients and blended teaching methods through various course modules.

RESULTS

A total of 39 multidisciplinary healthcare personnel completed the 6-week training program, and 32 of them participated in qualitative interviews. The IP-SDM training program effectively improved the SDM process competency of the participants from the perspectives of the participants, standardized patients, and clinical teachers. The interviews illustrated how the curriculum design enhanced learning; the effectiveness results indicated improvements in learners' attitude, knowledge, skills, and teamwork.

CONCLUSION

This IP-SDM training program improved multidisciplinary healthcare personnel's competency, self-efficacy, and intention to engage in IP-SDM.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Applying Kolb's experiential learning cycle and blended teaching methods to develop and implement the IP-SDM training program can improve multidisciplinary healthcare personnel's knowledge, attitude, skills, and teamwork in IP-SDM.

Overcoming Past Perceptions and a Profession-Wide Identity Crisis to Reflect Pharmacy's Future

The profession of pharmacy has come to encompass myriad identities, including apothecary, dispenser, merchandiser, expert advisor, and health care provider. While these identities have changed over time, the responsibilities and scope of practice have not evolved to keep up with the goals of the profession and the level of education of practicing pharmacists in the United States. By assuming that the roles of the aforementioned identities involve both product-centric and patient-centric responsibilities, our true professional identity is unclear, which can be linked to the prevalence of the impostor phenomenon within the profession. For pharmacy to truly move forward, a unified definition for the profession is needed by either letting go of past identities or separating these identities from each other by altering standards within professional degree programs and practice models. Without substantial changes to the way we approach this challenge as a profession, the problems described will only persist and deepen.

Medical and pharmacy students' perspectives of remote synchronous interprofessional education sessions

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional education (IPE) at university level is an essential component of undergraduate healthcare curricula, as well as being a requirement of many associated regulatory bodies. In this study, the perception of pharmacy and medical students' of remote IPE was evaluated.

METHODS

A series of IPE sessions took place via Zoom and students' feedback was collected after each session. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed.

RESULTS

72% (23/32) of medical students strongly agreed that the sessions had helped to improve their appreciation of the role of pharmacists, whereas 37% (22/59) of pharmacy students strongly agreed, reporting a median response of 'somewhat agreeing', that their appreciation of the role of general practitioners had improved. This difference was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.0143). Amongst students who responded, 55% (53/97) identified remote teaching as their preferred mode of delivery for an IPE session.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey demonstrated that the students valued the development of their prescribing skills as well as the ancillary skills gained, such as communication and teamwork. Remote IPE can be a practical means of improving medical and pharmacy students' understanding of each other's professional roles, as well as improving the skills required for prescribing.

Perception of interprofessional education and educational needs of students in South Korea: A comparative study

Due to the recent emphasis on the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) in healthcare fields, interest in IPE introduction is increasing in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in perceptions of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students regarding IPE. Also, the study aimed at identifying the priority rankings of educational needs by analyzing the differences between students’ perceptions of the importance level and the present level for each interprofessional competency. A cross-sectional study was carried out using a survey. A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed, of which 1,084 were returned (response rate, 72.3%). The participants were 559 medical, 393 nursing, and 96 pharmacy students. The questionnaire comprised items on the students’ perception of IPE and their interprofessional competency. The questionnaire comprised 12 items on their IPE perception and 9 items on their interprofessional competency. These items were developed by examining the content validity by medical educational specialists and conducting a factor analysis for verification. Data were analyzed using the t-test and ANOVA, and Borich’s formula was used to calculate the rank of educational needs.89.6% did not know the meaning of IPE. The difference in students’ perception of IPE was not significant by grade. Further, the level of IPE perception was higher for female than male students and for students who knew the meaning of IPE than those who did not. The nursing students’ perception of the importance, preference, and effectiveness of IPE was the highest, whereas medical students’ perception was the lowest. All students perceived their present level to be lower than the importance level for each interprofessional competency. Interprofessional communication skills (6.791) were highly necessary for students. These results will serve as baseline information for developing IPE programs in South Korea.